Two people were killed and another was left wounded in an ambush targeting firefighters on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. A man armed with a rifle intentionally set a wildfire in a wooded area and then opened fire on responding firefighters in an hours-long attack. Law enforcement used cell phone data to pinpoint the suspect’s location, whose body was later found with a firearm nearby. The fire was still active, said Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
“We believe the suspect started the fire and that it was a deliberate ambush,” Norris said during a late-night press conference. “Our firefighters didn’t stand a chance.” According to the sheriff’s office, gunfire was reported about half an hour after emergency crews arrived on the scene. Investigators confirmed that the shooter acted alone.
Coeur d’Alene is located in northwestern Idaho, a city of 55,000 residents near the Washington state border. Canfield Mountain is a popular destination for hiking and biking on the city’s outskirts, covered in trees and thick brush, and crisscrossed by numerous trails.
The sheriff explained that the attacker used high-powered sporting rifles to shoot at first responders.
Iowa Governor Brad Little denounced the attack on “heroic” first responders who sought to put out the blaze. “This is a vile, direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he wrote on Facebook. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families.”
The scene was described as sheer chaos, as the brush fire raged and the arriving firefighters came under gunfire. The first on the scene issued emergency calls over the radio: “Everybody’s shot up here… send law enforcement now.”
The three victims were taken to Kootenai Health Hospital in Spokane, Washington, escorted by fire department and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters and others saluted respectfully as the vehicles passed. Two were dead on arrival, while the third, who was wounded, underwent surgery and is reported to be in stable condition.
The shelter-in-place order for local residents was lifted, but the sheriff’s office urged continued caution until the flames are fully extinguished.
